


like a river

by ElatedFangirl



Series: bliss [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Character Death, Drabble, Graphic Description, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-22 19:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19986250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElatedFangirl/pseuds/ElatedFangirl
Summary: They say when you die, you are granted seven minutes of flashes of your life with your soulmate. It can be nostalgic. But it can also be haunting.





	like a river

**Author's Note:**

> This came from this prompt:
> 
> Soulmate AU wherein before you completely die, you get to see a 7-minute flash of your life with your soulmate.
> 
> Taeyong lays there, expecting to see the image of his wife only to see the face of his son's dance instructor, Ten, as his mind create scenarios of what could have beens.
> 
> This is really short but nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this!

They say when one is nearing their death, that person gets insistent dreams of images of them with their soulmate. It's like a string of reminders of who they've lived for and who they've given their life everyday for for the rest of their slowly ending life.

Ten days.

That's how much time there is left once a night of haunting or nostalgic dreams starts. From the first night, it goes consistent thereon until it reaches the end of the given days and a tragedy is bound to happen, or it happens peacefully in sleep. Most of the time, it's the former.

Taeyong has got his tenth last night - the last of the series of dreams. He refuses to believe these are the infamous dreams everyone is talking about. Not when he is not seeing his soulmate. He hasn't seen his wife even once in the past ten days. And so he refuses to believe he is bound to meet his end today.

His dreams are false. He doesn't know why he is seeing a silhouette of someone else in the past nights and despite the mysterious person perking his curiosity, he is more attuned to the strong denial of his mind to what his subconscious is very insistent on believing.

It's Jinyong's first day in his dance class today. As much as his son is bouncing on his seat in the car beside him in excitement, Taeyong tries to calm him down, "Yongie, calm down, will you? We're already near the studio."

The child gasps and bounces higher when he hears this. His voice is a cheerful chirp when he speaks, "I can't wait, daddy! My body wants to dance already."

Taeyong chuckles upon hearing this and just parks the car in the spot he sees beside the road. He unfastens his seatbelt then his son's as he grabs the bag at the backseat.

"Come on. Let's get you to class."

Taeyong opens the door to the studio letting his son in when he hears a voice welcoming them, "Oh hello! Are you here for the class?"

Taeyong sees Jinyong nodding enthusiastically to the person in front of him and so he sweeps his eyes up to see a petite man in his white t-shirt and black sweat pants. His eyes form crescents as he smiles, his teeth bare - white and straight, as the said smile goes even brighter the moment Jinyong expresses his excitement for the class. He is shorter than Taeyong by a few centimeters and he looks slender - very much like a dancer.

Taeyong stops in his tracks. It's odd, but the man seems familiar. He blinks a few times before it all falls into place and his eyes widen slightly at the realization.

His dreams.

"Hi! I'm Ten. I'm the dance instructor."

Taeyong blinks a couple more times before he realizes that a hand is stretched out in front of him. He reaches forward and shakes the small soft hand.

"I'm Taeyong, Jinyong's father."

The man's face lights up. "Glad to meet you! From here on, I'll take care of Jinyong here, okay? I'll give him back to you in an hour and a half." The man's smile is so bright that Taeyong easily compares it to a sunflower. Something about it brings him peace.

Taeyong scratches his nape, "Oh yeah, sure. I'll wait for him in the car."

The dance instructor nods and leads Jinyong into the room inside. Taeyong watches the two and waits until they are in before he turns and heads out, willing to go back to his car to wait there.

Taeyong can't take Ten off of his mind. There's something about him that just pulls Taeyong. His mind wanders upon his realization just earlier and thinks of all the silhouettes he has seen in his dreams.

The body fits perfectly. The voice, during the one time he has heard it in his dream in his fifth night of dreaming, matches too.

He shakes his head. It can't be. No. His soulmate is his wife. Jinyong is a proof of that love and fate. Nara is very beautiful and caring and is the best wife and mother there ever is. Taeyong can't think of anyone that should be in her place. Taeyong shakes his head again, crossing the street now that the light has turned green.

He is in the middle of his confused thoughts when he hears the honking of a horn. Taeyong snaps his head to the source of the loud sound when he sees a car speeding its way to him. The driver seems to be waving his hand to the side, possibly signalling him to run and get to safety.

But maybe it's the panic, the sudden fear that ran through Taeyong's system that his feet stayed glued to the ground. He is unable to move an inch, his body suddenly heavy. His wide eyes remain trained to the speeding car and his body remained in the middle of the narrow street. He can't move.

His mind shuts down on him and in just a few seconds, the car comes buzzing to him, hitting him on his thighs as he flies a few feet away with the impact. When he lands on the ground, he thumps loudly and heavily, his head taking some of the force.

Taeyong feels his consciousness slipping, already being slowly taken away from him.

_This is it. This is death, isn't it?_ Taeyong's thoughts is a whirlwind of questions and realizations.

He realizes that the past ten days is really his countdown and it sucks. He has never had the chance to make it special for his wife and son. It's ending so soon. He is slipping so soon.

_He really is my soulmate, after all._

And just as Taeyong closes his eyes, he hears busy murmurring and urgent voices of people who has now gathered around him.

His mind slips and he sees Ten smiling in front of him, holding a cone of ice cream as he licks on it and leans on Taeyong to kiss him. He can hear his laughter. It sounds awfully sweet and happy, like a reminder of how happy he was - _no_ , _how happy he can be if he was with Ten_.

It morphs. He sees Ten snug on his side on the sofa, arms around his waist and legs stretched in front of him and tangled with his on the table. A random movie plays on the television in front of them but Taeyong doesn't hear it. He only hears Ten's sweet promises of _"Baby, I love you."_

But then again, it changes. He sees Ten with eyes down on him. Taeyong seems to be on his knees and he sees Ten crying. _"Yes, Taeyong. Yes!_ " Taeyong feels his heart swell with joy. He stands up abruptly and scoops Ten up and kisses him full on the mouth. He loves him. He loves him with all his heart.

The image is slowly fading but it transforms into another scenario. This one, Taeyong feels his emotions unbridled. He feels the love, the happiness, the pleasure all in one. He can hear Ten moaning above him. He has his palms on Taeyong's chest and he bounces on him in perfect rhythm. Taeyong loves him. He loves him all the more in unguarded and passionate moments like this.

But now, it's too late.

With final light in his mind, he sees Ten - yet a child, holding a piece of paper, waiting for someone beside the road. He looks cheerful and about to raise his hand in greeting, wide smile - that beautiful smile, already on his lips as Taeyong nears. But then Taeyong gets called from behind and he doesn't even acknowledge Ten. He sees a glimpse of his face falling, hands and the paper also falling to his sides and Taeyong just blacks out.

_He has lost his chance. He lost him._

They say when you die, you are granted seven minutes of flashes of your life with your soulmate. It can be nostalgic. But it can also be haunting.

Taeyong realizes too late what kind is his.

**Author's Note:**

> Sound track:  
> [GIVE A LISTEN](https://youtu.be/0Xd_fGHUcuo)  
> I apologize for any grammatical errors. English is not my first language.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading this! Please do tell me what you think about it <3
> 
> TALK TO ME!  
> [TWITTER](https://twitter.com/ElatedFangirl) | [CURIOUS CAT](https://curiouscat.me/elatedfangirl) | [ASK.FM](https://ask.fm/elatedfangirl)


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